Who am I?

Well, I’m just your average 24-year old Canadian teaching English in Korea, finding my way through food, fitness and a foreign culture. Trying to figure out what I’m meant to do, what I have to share and how I want to live a life of fulfillment. Originally,  I dreamed that photography would be my goal, and so I pursued art school, and graduated with a BFA, Major in Photography from the Emily Carr University of Art+Design in Vancouver, BC. Upon completion of my school in 2010, I set out with hope and passion, excited to begin my new career as an aspiring photographer.

This was a long year, filled with discouragement and disappointing career prospects, and I found myself training for and entering my first Fitness Competition as a distraction. I also began searching for better employment and an opportunity to travel. I began the job placement process in Korea. I placed First in my regional competition in June 2011 (under the BC Amateur Bodybuilding Competition), and fueled with new-found purpose, trained for and entered the Provincial Competition in July. I was surprised and overjoyed when I placed Third, among incredible ladies, some of who had been training for years. At this time as well, the lengthy legal document process continued, and then, by the end of August 2011, with only a few days notice, I was off on a plane to South Korea!

Once here, I saw no reason to discontinue my fitness endeavours, and so, after a very challenging search and many language-barrier obstacles, I began training for Musclemania Korea in April 2012. It was hard trying to continue my diet in a completely different environment, with different foods,  different kitchens and equipment (hello microwave cooking-goodbye oven! ) and of course the difficulties associated with trying to explain to a Korean that no, you don’t eat white rice, and no it isn’t because you have an allergy! But I placed 4th out of 17 competitors, and couldn’t be unhappy about that!

I entered my second Korean competition in September 2012. I had just started my second teaching contract in a new city and also had just returned from my first visit home to Canada in over a year. All-in-all, it was definitely not the best time to be taking on a competition prep! (One of the problems about not speaking Korean is that you can find out that the competition you signed up for is actually in a different month than you had expected!) But I had continued training and clean eating over the summer, and by just dialing things in, was ready! Once again, I was the only foreigner in the show, and this time received the “Top Star” trophy. To do this day, I don’t know what that means, but was proud of my accomplishment.

Currently, I am training just to grow more muscle, and don’t have a set competition in mind. I am taking more time to enjoy life outside of competitions. I have also begun to study for my new goal to go back to school, but this time in nutrition. I plan to enter a Registered Dietetics Degree program next September, which means another four years back in school.. oh joy